Brabant Family Crest, Coat of Arms and Name History

Click each Family Crest below

Blazons & Genealogy Notes

1) Ar. on a fesse humettee az. leopards’ heads or.
2) (Devonshire). Ar. on a fesse gu. three leopards’ faces or (another of the field).
3) Ar. on a fesse humettee gu. three roses of the field. Crest—A rose gu. slipped and leaved vert, and a lance point or, in saltire.
4) Ar. on a fesse humettee gu. three roses ar. over all a bend sa.
5) Ar. on a fesse humettee gu. a leopard’s head or.
6) Ar. a fesse humettee gu. in chief three leopards’ faces of the second.
7) Or, three pales gu.
8) Ar. on a fesse humettee gu. three leopards’ faces or, over all a ribbon sa.
9) Or, a lion ramp. az.

Origin, Meaning, Family History and Brabant Coat of Arms and Family Crest

Brabant Origin:

France

Origins of Brabant:

This interesting surname is of Old French origin and is a geographical name for a person from the duchy of Brabant. Brabant is an old duchy in West Europe, divided when Belgium became separate in 1830, the south forming the Belgian counties of Antwerp and Brabant and the north forming the county of North Brabant in the Netherlands. The placename considered acquiring from the French “Brabant,” which means spin plough. Geographical Surnames acquired when old residents of a place shifted to another area, frequently for the search of work, and best recognized by the name of their mother town. Heliseus de Brabayn listed in the Hundred Rolls of Lincolnshire (1275), John Braton was recorded in the 1296 Premium Rolls of Sussex and Richard Brabyn noted as a Freeman of Yorkshire in 1549. In the new era, the surname can appear as Braban, Brabant, Braben, Brabin, Brabon, Brabyn, Brabban, Brabben, Brabbins and Brabham. In August 1629, John Brabyn married Jone Atkinson at the parish of St. James’ Clerkenwell, London, and the naming of Henricus, son of Gullielmi Brabyn, took place in the parish of Whittington, Lancashire, in December 1633. A Royal symbol given to the family represents three gold leopards’ faces on a red fesse humettee on a silver shield.

Variations:

England:

The surname Brabant was first found in the districts of Kent where they arrived from the Duchy of Brabant and gave their name to the hamlet and church of Braborne in the shire. They gave an estate and lands soon after the Norman invasion of England in 1066 by Duke William of Normandy. In William’s army, the Brabants were famous by their distinctive name, the Great Warrior.

The very first recording spelling of the family was shown to be that of Robert Braban, dated about 1260, in the “Assize Court Rolls of Cambridgeshire,” Huntingdonshire. It was during the time of King Henry II who was known to be the “The Frenchman,” dated 1216 – 1272. The origin of surnames during this period became a necessity with the introduction of personal taxation.

Ireland:

Many of the people with surname Brabant had moved to Ireland during the 17th century.

United States of America:

Individuals with the surname Brabant landed in the United States in three different centuries respectively in the 17th, 18th, and 19th. Some of the people with the name Brabant who arrived in the United States in the 17th century included Alexander Brabant landed in the Somers Islands in 1635. Alexander Brabant at the age of 30, landed in Barbados in 1635. George Brabant, who landed in Maryland in 1680.

People with the surname Brabant who landed in the United States in the 18th century included Genevieve Brabant married in Repentigny in 1714. John Brabant, who landed in South Carolina in 1739. Daniel Brabant, who arrived in South Carolina in 1739. Isaac Brabant, who came to Georgia in 1741. Marie-Elisabeth Brabant married in this town in 1761

The following century saw more Brabant surnames arrive. Some of the people with the surname Brabant who arrived in the United States in the 19th century included Abraham Brabant, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in the year 1839.

Notable People:

Daniel Brabant was a Canadian youth baseball player and winner of the Tip O’Neill Award of the year 1991.

Major-General Sir Edward Yewd Brabant KCB, CMG (b. 1839), was a South African remote military commander. He was born in the year 1839.

Malcom] Brabant (b. 1955), is a British freelance reporter. He was born in the year 1955.

Pierre Brabant (b. 1925), is a Canadian artist, and author. He was born in the year 1925.

Brabant Coat of Arms Meaning

The three main devices (symbols) in the Brabant blazon are the leopard’s face, fesse humettee and rose. The three main tinctures (colors) are or, argent and azure .

The bright yellow colour frequently found in coats of arms is known to heralds as Or, or sometimes simply as Gold.1Boutell’s Heraldry, J.P. Brooke-Little, Warne, (revised Edition) London 1970, P 27. Along with, argent, or silver it forms the two “metals” of heraldry – one of the guidelines of heraldic design is that silver objects should not be placed upon gold fields and vice versa 2A Complete Guide to Heraldry, A.C. Fox-Davies, Bonanza (re-print of 1909 Edition), New York, 1978, P85. The yellow colour is often associated with the Sun, and the zodiacal sign of Leo.3Understanding Signs & Symbols – Heraldry, S. Oliver & G. Croton, Quantum, London, 2013, P53.

Argent is the heraldic metal Silver and is usually shown as very pure white. It is also known more poetically as pearl, moon (or luna) 4Understanding Signs & Symbols – Heraldry, S. Oliver & G. Croton, Quantum, London, 2013, P53. In a sketch or drawing it is represented by plain, unmarked paper 5A Glossary of Terms used in British Heraldry, J.H. Parker, Oxford, 1847, P11.

The bright, strong blue color in Heraldry is known in English as azure, and similarly in other European languages – azul in Spanish, azurro in Italian and azur in French. The word has its roots in the Arabic word lazura, also the source of the name of the precious stone lapis lazuli6A Glossary of Terms used in British Heraldry, J.H. Parker, Oxford, 1894, Entry:Azure. Despite this, those heralds who liked to associate colours with jewels chose instead to describe blue as Sapphire. According to Wade, the use of this colour symbolises “Loyalty and Truth” 7The Symbolisms of Heraldry, W. Cecil Wade, George Redway, London, 1898 P36.

The leopard’s face (sometimes, incorrectly referred to as a leopard’s head occurs very frequently in heraldry 8A Glossary of Terms used in British Heraldry, J.H. Parker, Oxford, 1894, Entry:Lion. Early heraldic artists tended to treat lions and leopards as the same animal, but during the development of British Heraldry the heads of the two creatures have adopted separate, and more realistic forms. Wade would have us associate leopards with warriors, especially those who overcome ”hazardous things by force and courage”9The Symbolisms of Heraldry, W. Cecil Wade, George Redway, London, 1898 P65

The fesse is a broad horizontal band across the centre of the shield, in very ancient times it was said to occupy one third of the area height of the shield 10A Complete Guide to Heraldry, A.C. Fox-Davies, Bonanza (re-print of 1909 Edition), New York, 1978, P117, however it soon became somewhat narrower. This created an opportunity to add decorative edging to the band, of many forms, and to very pleasing artisitic effect, at least close up – it must be admitted that at distance some of the forms are hard to distinguish! Humettee is a word of uncertain origin that means couped or cut. It is applied to so-called ordinaries, the large features that typically extend across the whole of the field, but their description as humettee means that, whilst still occupying the bulk of the space, they are cut short before reaching the edge 11A Glossary of Terms used in British Heraldry, J.H. Parker, Oxford, 1894, Entry:Humetty.

Natural objects abound in heraldry, and one category that gives especial delight are the many flowers and flowering plants that frequently occur 12A Complete Guide to Heraldry, A.C. Fox-Davies, Bonanza (re-print of 1909 Edition), New York, 1978, P262. The rose is also of this type, being drawn, at least a little, realistically and often to very pleasing effect. It has long been present in English heraldry, and as a badge and symbol played an enormous in English history throughout the conflict between rival dynasties known as the War of the Roses. In addition to these familial uses, Wade suggests that red roses signify “beauty and grace” and the white represents “love and faith”. 13The Symbolisms of Heraldry, W. Cecil Wade, George Redway, London, 1898 P132-133